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CNN Saturday Morning News
Sparrows Choose Mate by Song
Aired November 09, 2002 - 09:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As the saying goes, birds of a feather, well, you know the rest. But for sparrows, it may take more than the right feathers.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Ann Kellan says the way these birds pick their mates is more a matter of being heard than being seen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE NOWICKI, BEHAVIORAL NEUROBIOLOGIST: Well, here's a fight if you want to see one.
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's dog-eat-dog when it comes to male sparrows romancing a mate. It's kind of like the TV show "The Bachelor," only with birds, the female plays the bachelor, choosing one among many. And it's kind of like the show "Star Search" because the strongest male singer with the best song wins.
NOWICKI: It's like picking Caruso over me in singing some aria, except even more subtle.
KELLAN: And competition is fierce. If a male sparrow ventures onto another male's turf, doesn't matter it's just a dummy set up by researchers, he wants it out of there.
And these guys have to sing their hearts out.
NOWICKI: And what is surprising is how well you've got to sing and how discerning the females are.
KELLAN: Duke University's Steve Nowicki and his team have figured out some of their top 10 hits.
This one perks the female's interest.
This one wouldn't rustle a female feather
NOWICKI: It's a little X-rated.
KELLAN: This female doesn't have to see the male, just hear a good song, her tail goes up. She's ready to mate, never mind that she already has a mate.
(on camera): You know, they're a little fickle, the females.
NOWICKI: Oh, it -- it...
KELLAN: They don't go to the one with the...
NOWICKI: It is Peyton Place.
KELLAN: ... good song.
(voice-over): Female sparrows don't tend to sing, they just listen. And researchers aren't sure why females put so much stock in the male's song. Maybe a good singer has a bigger brain.
Unlike with other birds, looks don't seem to matter as much to song sparrows. Or could it be that the female can tell a good-looking male by his whistle?
(on camera): So it's all about the female.
NOWICKI: It is all about the female. There is no question about it.
KELLAN (voice-over): And male birds, like babies, have to learn their songs from grownups. If they don't, they won't sing right. They won't get the girl and will likely get hammered by the competition.
Ann Kellan, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 9, 2002 - 09:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: As the saying goes, birds of a feather, well, you know the rest. But for sparrows, it may take more than the right feathers.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Ann Kellan says the way these birds pick their mates is more a matter of being heard than being seen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE NOWICKI, BEHAVIORAL NEUROBIOLOGIST: Well, here's a fight if you want to see one.
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's dog-eat-dog when it comes to male sparrows romancing a mate. It's kind of like the TV show "The Bachelor," only with birds, the female plays the bachelor, choosing one among many. And it's kind of like the show "Star Search" because the strongest male singer with the best song wins.
NOWICKI: It's like picking Caruso over me in singing some aria, except even more subtle.
KELLAN: And competition is fierce. If a male sparrow ventures onto another male's turf, doesn't matter it's just a dummy set up by researchers, he wants it out of there.
And these guys have to sing their hearts out.
NOWICKI: And what is surprising is how well you've got to sing and how discerning the females are.
KELLAN: Duke University's Steve Nowicki and his team have figured out some of their top 10 hits.
This one perks the female's interest.
This one wouldn't rustle a female feather
NOWICKI: It's a little X-rated.
KELLAN: This female doesn't have to see the male, just hear a good song, her tail goes up. She's ready to mate, never mind that she already has a mate.
(on camera): You know, they're a little fickle, the females.
NOWICKI: Oh, it -- it...
KELLAN: They don't go to the one with the...
NOWICKI: It is Peyton Place.
KELLAN: ... good song.
(voice-over): Female sparrows don't tend to sing, they just listen. And researchers aren't sure why females put so much stock in the male's song. Maybe a good singer has a bigger brain.
Unlike with other birds, looks don't seem to matter as much to song sparrows. Or could it be that the female can tell a good-looking male by his whistle?
(on camera): So it's all about the female.
NOWICKI: It is all about the female. There is no question about it.
KELLAN (voice-over): And male birds, like babies, have to learn their songs from grownups. If they don't, they won't sing right. They won't get the girl and will likely get hammered by the competition.
Ann Kellan, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
